Teens are creative but… vodka soaked tampons???

I recently saw a report about what our crazy kids are doing these days. They would soak gummy bears in alcohol, let them sit over night, and bring them to school. I thought, hey, now there’s a good idea! I am not necessarily advocating under aged drinking (although the taboo mentality of our culture around alcohol makes them COMPLETELY unprepared for responsible, adult drinking… but I digress…) I thought the gummy bears would be a great addition to my next big kid party. Then I saw this…

WTF??? Seriously kids… Tampons? This is a little beyond the realm of “fun”. I remember sneaking some hooch for my friends liquor cabinet. Some of this, some of that, replace with water (sorry Niel!) and sneak out at night and go get drunk, and fall down is some suburban park or playground. Heck, we even smoked at school, but I think the idea of heavy drugs or injecting poison DIRECTLY into your bloodstream is a bit of a cry for help…

What they recommend…

Watch your kids, tell them about the dangers, blah blah blah… These are very good things, open communication with your children is important, but I feel that maybe we need to revisit some of our core beliefs around alcohol and drug use…

The Taboo mentality

DON’T DRINK UNTIL YOU’RE 19! (or 21 in the US, or 18 in Alberta or…) This idea of keeping things from anyone makes them want it more. The anticipation, the danger, the “ooh, that’s bad” factor makes it irresistible for any sentient beings. We like to get a buzz. Most animals do. Birds will eat fermented berries, same with bears… it feels good! So why hide something, why make them wait? “Because they’re not old enough”, you might say. “Because they’re too immature”, you might add. This is true, but by not introducing it, they are still uneducated about it, and as such will be immature about it, no matter the age. Add to this the North American idea of binge drinking, i.e. waiting until the weekend, going out, and getting plastered, you can have some serious issues with a substance that could completely destroy your life. I say this because I too fell victim as a young man…

By slowly introducing wine or soft spirits in a controlled environment (like dinner, water it down even) you may actually teach your kid to drink responsibly, and when it comes time for them to be able to get it on their own, they will have an idea about the benefits and the dangers associated with drinking. It will be nothing new, and as such, who cares? It’s not so special, not so taboo.

I am not saying turn your 12 year old into a raging alcoholic, but by sharing and teaching, perhaps your daughter, or son, might think twice about shoving vodka soaked tampons into any orifice…